ALGIERS: An Algerian court on Wednesday handed heavy prison sentences to several former allies of ousted president Abdelaziz Bouteflika for corruption, a defence lawyer said.
Prominent tycoon Ali Haddad was handed an 18-year jail term while former prime ministers Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal, already behind bars over other graft cases, were sentenced to 12 years each.
Eight other former ministers were handed sentences of between two and 20 years.
Haddad's brothers -- Omar, Meziane, Sofiane and Mohamed -- were condemned to four years in prison, while the court ordered the seizure of family assets.
A lawyer for Haddad, the founder and CEO of construction firm ETRHB and former head of Algeria's main employers' organisation, slammed the verdict as "obviously political" and said the businessman would appeal.
"The defendants were members of the old regime. They are paying the price of the defeated," Khaled Bourayou added.
Bouteflika, who was Algeria's longest-serving president, was forced to resign in April last year amid enormous street protests against his decision to seek a fifth term in office despite his ill health.
While some have welcomed the trials of figures in his entourage, including his powerful brother Said and two former intelligence chiefs, many fear that they amount to little more than a power struggle between regime "clans".
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Ex-Bouteflika allies handed heavy jail terms in Algeria graft trial
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Ex-Bouteflika allies handed heavy jail terms in Algeria graft trial
- Heavy prison sentences were handed to several former allies of Bouteflika
Israel to reopen Jordan border crossing for passage of aid and goods
JERUSALEM: Israel is set to reopen the Allenby Crossing with Jordan to the passage of goods and aid on Wednesday, an Israeli security official said on Tuesday.
The border crossing has been closed to aid and goods since September, when a driver bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza opened fire and killed two Israeli military personnel before being killed by security forces.
The security official said the crossing would have tightened screening for Jordanian drivers and truck cargo, and that a dedicated security force had been assigned to the crossing.
The Allenby Bridge is a key route for trade between Jordan and Israel and the only gateway for more than 3 million Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to reach Jordan and the wider world.
The crossing reopened to passenger traffic shortly after the attack, but had remained closed to aid trucks. The UN says the crossing is a major route for bringing food, tents and other goods into Gaza.
The border crossing has been closed to aid and goods since September, when a driver bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza opened fire and killed two Israeli military personnel before being killed by security forces.
The security official said the crossing would have tightened screening for Jordanian drivers and truck cargo, and that a dedicated security force had been assigned to the crossing.
The Allenby Bridge is a key route for trade between Jordan and Israel and the only gateway for more than 3 million Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to reach Jordan and the wider world.
The crossing reopened to passenger traffic shortly after the attack, but had remained closed to aid trucks. The UN says the crossing is a major route for bringing food, tents and other goods into Gaza.
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